Biomedical research has increasingly moved towards the design and implementation of microfabricated systems to efficiently improve technologies such as drug delivery, diagnostics, and tissue engineering. It is known that biological interactions vary significantly at different length-scales. Technologies featuring micron length-scales tailored specifically for biomedical applications, termed biomicroeiectromechanical systems (“BioMEMS”), are able to interact with biological systems such as cells or even single biomolecules. Previous strategies for developing BioMEMS have typically focused on using traditional non-degradable materials. For example, the strategies have typically involved adapting traditional microfabrication materials and processes, thereby resulting in systems fabricated from non-degradable materials such as silicon and polydimethylsiloxane (“PDMS”). However, non-degradable materials are often not suitable for implantable/biomedical applications and may present health and safety concerns.
There have also been previous studies using biomaterials, such as biodegradable polymers, as there is a growing demand for implantable BioMEMS in in vivo applications, such as drug-delivery systems and tissue engineering. For example, BioMEMS devices have been fabricated using biopolymers, both natural and synthetic, including gelatin, alginate, poly(L-lactic acid) (“PLA”), poly(L-lactic-co-glycolic) acid (“PLGA”), and poly(glycerol-co-sebacate) (“PGS”). However, the above-mentioned biodegradable materials are often found to have poor mechanical, electrical, and biological properties, undesirable biodegradation kinetics, and limited chemical functionality for implantable biomedical device applications.